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Health and gluten-free products top products of the year

More than 14,000 Australian consumers have voted for their favourite products of the year, with a number of new categories that recognise innovations in healthy and gluten-free product lines.

Ten wins out of a total of 50 went to new products offering healthy and allergy-free alternatives to everyday food and beverage items.

On November 15, the Product of the Year 2019 winners were announced at Quay Restaurant in Sydney.

One category that has become more and more popular amongst consumers is gluten-free, with two categories being created this year for general and kid friendly specific products.

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Product of the Year director, Sarah Connelly said she is thrilled at the increase in innovative healthy-option products that are being made available on shelf and being entered into the awards.

“It’s a trend that we’ve not seen much of before in the history of the awards and it signals increasing consumer demand for manufacturers to innovate in these areas.

“These options are becoming far more mainstream and more affordable than they have ever been before,” she said.

“A category that we have seen consistent growth in each year is ‘convenience foods’ but this year we are seeing more vegetarian easy-option foods, which simply haven’t been available before.

“It’s wonderful to see these dietary requirements being met by brands, showcasing their leadership in this space,” said Connelly.

Now in its tenth year in Australia, Product of the Year has announced its 2019 winners, with Coles scooping 11 awards, Metcash scoring 10 and ALDI winning nine awards.

New to the awards this year, Mars Foods were awarded three wins, as were fellow newcomers Freedom Foods, with two wins under their belt.

In its biggest year yet, the awards recognise product innovation and span across a wide range of categories including skincare and beauty, home cooking and pantry, snacks and entertaining, healthy options and gluten free, and everyday staples.

The Nielsen research that determines the winners involves evaluating consumer response using the six key principles derived from their learnings about successful innovation:

  1. Relevance – Is the product fulfilling a need or addressing a problem?
  2. Uniqueness – Does is stand out and bring something new to the category?
  3. Excitement – Does it excite them? Would they spread the word?
  4. Likeability – Does it deliver what you want?
  5. Value Perception – Do you think it provides value for money?
  6. Purchase Intent – How likely are you to buy this product (again)

The index that determines a product’s final score is its overall performance across these six KPIs which is then weighted based on derived importance of this key criteria.

The highest index score in the category is the winner.

 

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